Taylor Swift to Launch ‘Swifties’

Taylor Swifts’ rights management firm (TAS) has filed paperwork with the US Patent and Trademark Office to secure rights to the name “Swifties.”

Based on the sheer number of classifications her trademark applications seek to secure—at least nine were filed in February—whatever the star is launching appears to be a one-stop shop for all things Taylor Swift; online journals, a streaming platform for audio and video and “arranging and conducting contests and sweepstakes.”

But the registration for the Swifties mark doesn’t stop there. TAS is also seeking to register the Swifties name in relation to musical instruments such as guitars; guitar picks, guitar straps, drumsticks, and a wide range of apparel, jewelry, and accessories for men and women.

But streaming audio and video is an interesting addition to Swift’s business venture given her past.

Swift has fought against streaming platforms in the past. She challenged Spotify in 2014, pulling her catalog from their platform and penning a now-famous op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. “It’s my opinion that music should not be free,” she wrote at the time, “and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album’s price point is. I hope they don’t underestimate themselves or undervalue their art.”

She eventually went on to work exclusively with Apple Music, releasing her full catalog to the service and appearing in several commercials for the brand. If “Swifties” is real, it’s unclear how it would affect with her deal with Apple, but it’s a brand-savvy move at a time when control is half the battle.